Countdown begins.....

So i know that we all learn a lot around here in blogland, and it was only the other day at Seaside Siblings, that I learnt that advent actually begun last Sunday (ooops!).  Lou has made a gorgeous nativity scene for her girls.

 I was all prepared to get making an advent calender for the kids, and took inspiration from Maya Made.

Somehow November just seemed to flash past and yesterday I was in the bit of a flurry getting all things sorted.  I had my son do some painting, and then some number placing, and last night I spent the last few wee hours of the night arranging it all together and planning the first advent surprise.  This is our Advent Calender.  It is supposed to look a little like a Christmas Tree (missing a star at the top I think!)...

This advent calender is made with toilet rolls stapled closed at one end, painted and numbered.  I'd been saving them for a few weeks, but didn't quite reach the magic number of 24, so lucky I had some craft boxes (which worked nicely for the tree trunk).  I placed them on a spare piece of timber that was a shelf in my daughters little wardrobe that is no longer needed.  I just used adhesive tape for the rolls and velcro dots for the boxes, so we can remove them.

 My intention was to spend as little as possible in the creation, so I could buy a few little bits and pieces to put in there.  I only had to spend $2 on the stickers, but really you could just write them on, or print them out.  Not all my items will fit in the little rolls, and today's little surprise was two books (one each), so last night hubby and I drew a little treasure map of where we hid them and placed the map in box number 1.


This morning, it was lovely watching them find their first surprise which enjoyment.

Some of my other items I plan to include will be;
- tokens that will have little drawings to symbol an activity (like a visit to the park, baking Christmas cookies, outing for ice-cream etc)
- little matchbox cars
- hair clips (for daughter)
- game of uno
- some money to walk to the milkbar and choose some treats
- wooden animals and craft to make a nativity scene

Happy first day of summer (oh were are you sun, please show us your shiny self soon xx)

Let the count down begin!